Description
The G. E. Smith Vintage Guitar/Amp Collection
If you have ever watched the Saturday Night Live band back some of the greatest names in music, then you probably saw G.E. Smith on guitar. G.E. has been THE rock-steady guitar sound behind SNL, Hall & Oates, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, MoonAlice and many more.
Recently, G.E. had been thinking about selling some of the gear he'd collected during his long career. While looking for an established, knowledgeable and trusted buyer, he ran across our shop and liked what he saw. After checking out the store's bona fides, he decided to touch base with John Majdalani, Cream City Music store co-owner and head vintage buyer.
Fortunately, John and G.E. hit it off immediately, and G.E. asked John to come out east to see, in person, the portion of his collection he was no longer using. When John arrived at G.E.'s, he was invited down to the basement, and they spent the next 8 hours deep-diving through the whole thing: amps then guitars--all the while jibber-jabbering about gear, life, food and rock'n'roll war stories.
The collection turned out to be a total of 60 pieces--roughly 30 guitars and 30 amps...an astonishing wealth of great vintage gear. At the end of the long day, as John was packing everything into the truck, G.E. sat on the tailgate and played a goodbye tune on his old, trustworthy 1960 Black Beauty Les Paul.
Most of the collection is currently at Cream City Music and consists of some of the most extraordinary vintage pieces we have seen in many years. If you're in the area, it's truly worth a visit to the store to see this gear. If you can't make here though, take a look at our website and social media over the next few weeks to see these items as they are posted for sale.
What makes this guitar special: A beautiful piece of American guitar history, well-appointed with magnificent attention to detail. The headstock sports a gorgeous hand-inlaid rose, while the top shows beautiful hand-painted designs and some good, honest wear. While this piece may be 100 years old and well-loved, it’s in terrific shape and the wood has opened up beautifully. It has a stellar midrange voice and sounds phenomenal when played fingerstyle. The guitar has a couple bumps and bruises, but has been refretted for reliable playability-this one is sure to have you playing for hours. And with a professional setup included, you can rest assured it will arrive ready to play out of the case.
Cosmetic condition: Great shape for its age, with some expected wear & tear throughout. There are various scratches, dents, dings, nicks, chips, and scuffs present, with a handful of areas of finish wear and ample weather checking throughout. The top shows significant pickwear in the wood on the treble side of the soundhole, as well as wear in the finish where the arm rests. There is one small repaired crack on the treble side, which has resulted in a slightly raised profile in the wood along the binding in that area. Much of the finish on the back of the neck has worn away from years of playing, and the neck has been refretted. The G-string tuner is bent, and the tuners have a bit of play in them, but all hold tune properly. There is visible on much of the hardware as well. Overall, this one has a beautiful look to it, with a gorgeous patina.
Body: Double bound Brazilian Rosewood back & sides with ladder-braced solid spruce top in natural finish. Hand-painted floral patterns grace much of the top. Bound soundhole and black/white purfling. Rosewood bridge and pearl inlaid black bridge pins. Lower bout width measures 13” with 3 3/4" depth. Upper bout width measures 9 1/2" with 3 1/4" depth.
Weight: 3 lb, 1.5 oz
Neck: Comfortable soft-V mahogany neck with bound ebony fingerboard, black side dots and pearl dot inlays. Neck has been refretted, and frets have a ton of life left. 1 3/4" nut width, 24 3/4" scale length. Slotted headstock with ornate open gear tuners and pearl buttons. Hand-inlaid Rose design on the front, with Washburn Lyon & Healy emblem on the back, with a very cool rounded peaked volute.
Case: Original hard shell case included. Case shows wear consistent with age, and has taken a serious hit at some point on top (see photos), but still serves its purpose.
